Bacteria protect soybeans from aphids

U.S. entomologists claim a careful choice of nitrogen-fixing bacteria might provide soybean farmers protection against an invasion of soybean aphids.

"Our results demonstrate that plant-rhizobia interactions influence plant resistance to insect herbivores and that some rhizobia strains confer greater resistance to their mutualist partners than do others," the researchers said, noting they do not yet know what the natural nitrogen-fixing bacteria do to repel aphids.